-
1748
Peter Kalm of Sweden published map showing oil springs of Oil Creek, PA -
1767
Sir William Johnson of New York recorded Native American practice of skimming oil -
1778
Moravian missionaries reported "oil wells, with the products of which the Seneca Indians carry on trade with Niagara" in Western New York -
1785
General William Irvine reported "Oil Creek, PA, has taken its name from an oil or bituminous matter floating on its surface"